Iran Says US Navy Attempt To Seize A Tanker In The Sea Of Oman Has Been Foiled | Nuclear weapons news

Iranian state television describes the incident as a failed attempt to “steal” oil as Tehran prepares for nuclear talks scheduled for this month.

Iran says it has foiled an attempt by the US Navy to seize a tanker carrying oil in the Oman Sea, state television reported.

There were no details on the date of the incident or the country in which the ship is registered.

“American forces chased the tanker with helicopters and warships, but were unable to capture it,” said the Iranian news agency IRNA, adding that the tanker is now in Iranian territorial waters.

Iranian state television described the incident on Wednesday as a failed attempt to “steal” oil. There was also no indication of when the incident took place.

The development comes before the nuclear talks due later this month.

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said there seemed to be “a pattern” related to a “confrontation” that emerged after Washington’s exit from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018.

There were “tankers that were set on fire, bombs on tankers, there were attempts to seize tankers – so this is not new, it is just escalating,” said Hashem from the Qatari capital Doha.

“As for the Iranians and the Americans, there have been other incidents before,” he said, referring to previous and similar cases.

Nuclear diplomacy

Negotiations with the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal are expected to resume at the end of November.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned that time is running out to reverse the US withdrawal from the deal ordered by his predecessor Donald Trump.

Washington is not participating directly in the talks, but through intermediaries from the European Union.

Trump’s abandonment of the deal and renewed imposition of extensive economic sanctions prompted Iran to suspend many of its commitments in return for the sanctions lifting.

Western governments issued a joint statement on Saturday expressing their “grave” concern about Iranian production of highly enriched uranium, which they said met “no credible civilian need”.

Iran countered that the production was “for medical supply and use as fuel in the Tehran research reactor” and reiterated its readiness to resume talks – which have been suspended since the election of President Ebrahim Raisi in June.